Feeding of textile materials



Dec. 3, 1935. s. A. WELCH El AL EEEEING 0F TEXTILE MATERIALS Filed Dec. 8, 1953 2 Sheets -Sheet l TEE ALBERT F GUYLER I WILLIAM naogkg Dec. 3, 1935.

s. A. WELCH Er AL FEEDING OF TEXTILE MATERIALS Filed Dec. 8, 1933 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 FIGA.

50 as .35 57 as 4142' Patented Dec. 3, 1935 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE FEEDING OF TEXTILE MATERIALS Application December 8, 1933, Serial No.'701,438

7 Claims.

This invention relates to a feeding or creel arrangement for yarns or threads, i. e. means for drawing from bobbins or spools yarns or threads which are to undergo a textile operation, and is a continuation in part of U. S. application S. No.

433,084 filed March 4, 1930. The object of the invention is to provide a feeding or creel arrangement by means of which a number of yarns or threads (hereinafter referred to as threads) can be drawn from bobbins or spools (hereinafter referred to as bobbins) and fed at a uniform rate or tension.

According to the invention, the threads are drawn from bobbins by means which deliver them substantially without tension to a feeding device which forwards the threads at a rate controlled by the tension of the threads after they have left the feeding device. The stress of pulling the threads from the bobbins is thus removed from the feeding device, and the feeding device is therefore concerned only with feeding the threads at a constant rate.

It will be seen that by the employment of this arrangement for feeding threads to, for example, a loom or warp-loom, in which all the threads of a warp are consumed at a substantially constant rate, each thread receives the same increment of tension between the feeding device and the point of use and that it is sufficient to control the feeding device in accordance with any fluctuations in this tension in order to ensure a rate of feed which is generally uniform. Thus, for example, the thread may be passed over, or round a bar to form a loop, the bar being made to oscillate so as to draw the thread from the bobbins when moving in'one direction, and to allow the thread to proceed substantially without tension to the feeding device when moving in the other direction. Or the thread may be passed over a series of spaced rollers, positively driven at a uniform speed, and round an oscillating bar, which, in its movement in one direction draws the thread into driving contact with the rollers, the rollers then pulling the thread from the bobbin, and in its movement in the other direction, allows the thread to slip on the rollers. There may be included between the drawing device and the feeding device a tension device, such as a series of tension bars, so that the tension imparted to the thread during the drawing period shall not be transmitted to the feeding device.

Referring to the accompanying'drawings:

Figure 1 is a view of one form of apparatus according to the invention, with drawing rollers.

Figure 2 is a view of one form of apparatus with an oscillating drawing bar.

Figure 3 is a view of means for driving the thread feeding device in Figure l or 2.

Figure 4 is a detail 'of the mechanism shown 5 in Figure 3, and

Figures 5 and 6 are side elevations of two forms of braking device for feed controlling rollers.

In Figure 1 a number of bobbins 3 are suitably mounted so as to be free to rotate, for example, 1 on a row or rows of pegs carried by a creel, and the thread 4 is drawn off the bobbins by an oscillating bar 5 operating in conjunction with a series of spaced rollers 6 which are all driven at the same peripheral speed, and over which the threads 4 pass while proceeding to the bar 5. The peripheral speed of the rollers is greater than the rate of consumption or feed of the threads, and the bar 5 is caused to oscillate to such an extent that it pulls the threads into driving contact with the rollers to allow them to feed a slight excess of the threads and then removes the tension from the threads to allow them to slip on the rollers 6.

The rollers 6 cease to feed as the bar completes its movement and the substantially tensionless threads which have been fed pass after traversing a series of fixed tension bars 8 to a main feeding device comprising intermeshing toothed or corrugated rollers 1 between which the threads 4 pass. The threads pass over and under the bars 8 making frictional contact therewith which prevents or lessens any tendency for the threads to be drawn back through the feeding device I under the tension imparted by the bar 5 in its drawing movement. From the feeding device 1 the threads 4 proceed to a tension bar I2 and thence to the knitting elements l3 of a knitting machine by means of which they are knitted into a fabric. The bar I2 is connected to and controls the rollers of the feeding device I in a manner hereinafter to be described with reference to Figures 3 and 4.

The oscillations of the bar 5 are effected from the main drive 4| of the knitting machine, which is connected by means of a chain 42 to a sprocket 43. The sprocket 43 drives a cam 44 acting on one arm 45 of a bell crank lever whose other arm 46 carries the bar 5. The bar 5 is caused to move in its thread drawing movements by 50 means of a spring 41 and is only driven positively by the same 44 in its return stroke, so that, during its drawing stroke, the bar merely imparts tension to the threads to draw them into driving contact with the rollers B. The rollers 6 are with the sprocket 43 and sprockets on the rollers 6.

In Figure 2 the thread 4 leaving the bobbin-s 3 pass over or round draw-ofi bar 9 oscillating about a shaft H), the to-and-fro motion of the draw-off bar 9 being of such amplitude that at each oscillation it is capable of drawing from the bobbins 3 a length of thread somewhat in excess of the amount of thread consumed during the complete oscillation. The thread is drawn from the bobbins only while the draw-off bar is moving in one direction, the return movement of the draw-off bar leaving the thread substantially without tension. The slack thread proceeds through tension bars 8 similar to those described with reference to Figure 1, to a feed ing device comprising plain rollers I I from which it proceeds to a spring loaded tension bar l2. The bar 9 carried by the lever 5| is oscillated by means of a link 52 connecting the lever 5| to a crank pin 53 on a disc 54 driven from the main shaft 4| similarly to the wheel 43 of Fig. 1, by means of a chain 42.

'The operation of the rollers 1, above described is of the type usually employed in warp knitting machines to rotate warp beams feeding the threads on the needles of the machine.

A typical example of a mechanism of this kind is illustrated with reference to Figs. 3 and 4. The threads 4 pass over a tension bar l2 carried on an arm M which is rigidly secured to a shaft l5 by means of a screw I6. The shaft |5 also carries a short arm I'I secured to it by means of a screw I8 and bearing against a spring l9. The upper end of the spring I9 presses against a nut 20 screwed on to a rod 2| on which the spring I9 is carried, the other end of the rod 2| being secured by means of a nut.22 to the machine frame. The tension bar |2 moves against the action of the spring |9 under the tension in the thread 4. A third arm 23 is also secured to the shaft I5 and its other end is connected by means of a rod 24 to the operating lever 25 of a gear box 26. The gear box 26 drives a shaft 21 carrying one of the rollers (not shown) between which the threads pass, and a second shaft 28 carrying the other roller is driven from the shaft 21 by means of gears 29. The lever 25 operates a clutch mechanism illustrated with reference to Fig. 4 and causes the shaft 21 to be intermittently driven in accordance-with the position of the tension bar l2, that is, in accordance with the tension in the threads 4 passing over the tension bar.

The mechanism of the gear box 26 is clearly shown in Fig. 4. The gear box is driven by means of a chain sprocket 30 mounted upon a shaft 3| running through the gear box, a gear 32 being loosely mounted on the shaft 3|. The gear 32 is pressed towards the right by means of springs 33 carried in recesses in the wall 34 of the gear box, the pressure being applied through ball bearings 35. An internal coned surface 31 is machined within the gear 32, and this surface engages with a friction cone 38 securely keyed to the shaft 3|. The shaft 3| is actuated to move axially by means of a quick screw 39 screwing into the wall 40 of the gear box and actuated by means of the lever 25 described with reference to Fig. 3. The shaft runs in bearings 4| in the quick screw member 39. As the lever 25 is onera ed under an increase of tension of the threads it screws the member 39 into the wall 40 of the gear box and pushes the cone 38 carried on the shaft 3| into engagement with the internal cone 3! of the gear 32. When a suflicient quantity of thread has been fed to allow the tension 5 bar to rise, the lever 25 is moved to screw the member 39 outwardly, bringing the cone 38 out of engagement wtih the cone surface 31. A second internal coned surface 43 is provided in the gear 32 which engages, when the cone 38 is out 10 of engagement with a second cone 42 rigidly secured to the wall 40 of the gear box. In this manner, when the drive through the gear box ceases the cones 42', 43 engage to check the rotation of the gear 32. 15

As an alternative to the use of the mechanism shown in Figures 3 and 4, the brake mechanism illustrated in Figure 5 may be employed. In this case the rollers H are rotated by the passage through them of the threads 4, the tension 0 on the left or working side of the rollers I I being sufiicient for this purpose. The rollers provide a check on the feeding of the threads 4, being braked by means of a rope 55 secured at one end with a spring 56 to prevent vibration, pass- 5 ing once round the spindle 51 of the lower roller I, and weighted at the other end with a weight 58. The upper of the rollers H is held in contact with the lower by means of a screw 59 working in a block 60.

Another form of braking mechanism is shown in Fig. 6 in which two brake shoes 6| carried on levers 62 pivoted at 63 act on a drum 64 secured to the spindle of the lower roller The other ends of the levers 62 are acted upon by a butterfly 65 on the end of the spindle carrying the arms 66 by which the tension bar 2 (described with reference to Fig. 1) is carried. As the tension bar I2 is depressed by tension in the threads the butterfly 65 is rotated relieving the pressure of the shoes 6| on the drum 63 and allowing the rollers II to rotate more easily.

The driving mechanism of the draw-off devices 5 and 9 may be adjusted to give any desired duration of operation of the oscillating bars. Thus, the movement of the bar 5 may be altered by the substitution of different cams 44 so that the period during which the draw-off rollers 5 are in driving contact with the thread may be made long or short depending on the ratio between the peripheral speed of the rollers and the rate of consumption of the thread. As shown in-Figs. 1 and 2 the chain 42 drives the disc 43 at the same rate as the main shaft 4| of the knitting machine, so that feeding of thread by the rollers 6 is effected once in each knitting cycle.

What we claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:-

1. In apparatus for feeding threads from packages the combination with feeding means 0 adapted to feed the threads at a rate controlled by the tension in the threads after they have left the feeding means of a bar over which the threads pass after leaving the packages, and means adapted to oscillate said bar so as to draw the threads from the packages in one direction of its movement and to allow the threads to proceed substantially without tension to the-said feeding means in the other direction of its movement. 70

2. In apparatus for feeding threads from packages the combination with feeding means adapted to feed the threads at a rate controlled by the tension in the threads after they have left the feeding means of a plurality of rollers adapted to draw the threads from the packages, an oscillating bar over which the threads are caused to pass after leaving the rollers, said bar being adapted to pull the threads into driving contact with the drawing rollers in one direction of its oscillation, and in the other direction of its oscillation to allow the threads so drawn to proceed, substantially without tension to the said feeding means.

3. In apparatus for feeding threads from packages the combination with feeding means adapted to feed the threads at a rate controlled by the tension in the threads after they have left the feeding means of means for drawing the threads from the packages and delivering them substantially without tension to the feeding means, and means interposed between said drawing means and said feeding means adapted to prevent the tension imparted to the threads during the drawing operation from being communicated to thefeeding means.

4. In apparatus for feeding threads from packages the combination with feeding means adapted to feed the threads at a rate controlled by the tension in the threads after they have left the feeding means of means for drawing the threads from the packages and delivering them substantially without tension to the feeding means, a plurality of parallel bars round which the threads are caused to pass in one direction, said bars being interposed between said drawing means and said feeding means adapted to prevent the tension imparted to the threads during the drawing operation from being communicated to the feeding means.

5. In apparatus for feeding threads from packages the combination with feeding means adapted to feed the threads at a rate controlled by the tension in the threads after they have left the feeding means of a bar over which the threads pass after leaving the packages, and means adapted to oscillate said bar so" as to draw the threads from the packages in one direction of its movement and to allow the threads to proceed 5 substantially without tension to the said feeding means in the other direction of its movement, a plurality of parallel bars round which the threads are caused to pass in one direction, said bars being interposed between said drawing means and 10 said feeding means adapted to prevent the tension imparted to the threads during the drawing operation from being communicated to the feeding means.

6. In apparatus for feeding threads from pack- 15 ages the combination with feeding means comprising a pair of rotating nipping members adapted to feed the threads at a rate controlled by the tension in the threads after they have left the feeding means of means for drawing the threads 20 from the packages and delivering them substantially without tension to the feeding means,

7. In a warp knitting machine comprising a source of supply of warp threads and a series of needles, the combination with feeding means adapted to feed the threads to the needles at a rate controlled by the tension in the threads after they have left the feeding means of a bar over which the threads pass after leaving the packages, and means adapted to oscillate said an bar so as to draw the threads from the packages in one direction of its movement and to allow the threads to proceed substantially without tension to the said feeding means in the other direction of its movement.

' SWNEYIW' i CH, J0 THOMAS ASY. ERT FHO G l g i HENRY BUR. 

